Meet Our New Foundation Board Members

We’re ringing in the New Year with some new Iconic Houses board members. So a warm welcome to Hendrik J. de Ru, Huub Wüst and Hetty Berens, who will be joining us for the exciting times ahead.

Hendrik J. de Ru has a background in law and as an architectural enthusiast he commissioned the contemporary iconic home, Villa I. He will replace Natascha Drabbe as chair of the advisory board, while she becomes director of the foundation. ‘Villa I was the dream of my youth,’ Hendrik explains. ‘A glass house that’s spacious, elegant, yet homely and an everyday joy to live in. With my wife, I currently live the other dream of my youth and travel the world discovering architectural gems. I’ve joined the board in order to promote their conservation.’

Huub Wüst, our new treasurer, is a financier who has a strong interest in architecture, having built his own family home with the help of an architect.‘I dreamt of being an architect at the age of 12,’ he says. ‘Later, I chose to study economics instead at the University of Groningen and afterwards joined PwC as certified public accountant. The interest in architecture stayed with me however, and we were lucky enough to create our own home. Now I’m enthusiastic about helping Iconic Houses realize its ambitions.’

Hetty Berens is an architectural historian and curator of the Sonneveld House in Rotterdam. ‘As a curator of the Sonneveld House I am highly involved in developing the potential of this type of museum, which because of its size and uniqueness asks for a special approach in the museum world.' Hetty was an active board member of the DEMHIST organisation for many years and as such involved in the categorisation project of this ICOM international museum organisation. She made an online overview of House Museums in The Netherlands. 'As a house museum specialist, I feel I have a lot to contribute to – and learn from – Iconic Houses.’

Natascha DrabbeDeparting chair and Iconic Houses founding director Natascha Drabbe says: ‘I’m delighted that we have such a capable and enthusiastic new management team. After the great start that followed our launch in 2012, plus four successful years online, I'm really looking forward to professionalizing our organization so that our network and the people who are part of it can grow together. This will allow us to provide the best possible support for our members and create a greater awareness of house museums among a wider audience than ever.’